Hello,
The question is in the title. I ask because although neither of my parents earned a degree or spent a full four years at college, they still attended. My dad spent 3 years at UCSB and my mom spent a year at a CC. Would I be considered “first generation”?
I would think yes.
College has different definitions so check carefully. For some it seems to be having parents who never went past a HS education (which would not qualify you), for other schools it is parents who don’t have a college degree (which would qualify you).
Go into common App and look at the questions. The question is NOT whether you are first gen. It asks if they attended college, if so, the degree(s) obtained.
The school will then decide what your situation means to them.